


espressily for you

by Grehsun



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, clem is just a bumbling idiot but we love her, curious clem meets misfit vi at a coffee shop, i like coffee shops so of course clem and vi need to meet in one, vi is just a softie behind her mysterious facade
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-05-28 09:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19391716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grehsun/pseuds/Grehsun
Summary: Up close, Clementine can see that the girls nose is pierced, a silver hoop shimmering from the lights above them; her disheveled, blonde hair tucked messily under her hood, so pale that it resembles ashes from a bonfire; her eyes share the same hue of spring growth, the kind of green that mimics a forest in full bloom. Light pools of green that hold so much strength, yet so much hesitance.Clementine is our lovely, curious piece of fruit that just wants to get to know the new girl at her favorite coffee shop, Waldos. But what she doesn't realize is how important Violet will become to her and just how hard she's going to fall.





	1. just brew it

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally writing my first fanfic about good ole' Clem and Vi! It's about damn time. Ever since I fell in love with twdg series, especially season 4, I've been itching to write something a little more lighthearted about the two love birds. I attempted to be funny, so sorry in advance if it's more facepalm worthy than anything! I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Quick note: Clem and the gang are high school seniors who like to hang out at their local coffee shop. I'm a sucker for coffee, what can I say?

Clementine is a lot of things: humble, charismatic, hardworking, even a clever little shit - butgraceful? Yeah, _definitely_ not that one.

Like, for example, during baseball games when she decides to steal a base as a way of somehow garnering more points, and even though she does successfully trick her opponents with her clever tomfoolery, she almost always catches a cleat to the mouth.

Or when she tries to devise a foolproof plan to sneak her way out of whatever godforsaken things her friends decide to come up with, and although she does get called out on her bullshittery, she always has a quick retort to confuse them long enough for her to high tail it out of any situation she was being dragged into.

Well, except for today apparently.

It's not like she doesn't like spending time with her friends, because she absolutely does, even if they do sometimes get into quite the predicament. But the thought of setting up all the equipment for Louis' stupid performance gave her a migraine, and a fuckin big one at that.

"What do you mean we have to set up all the lights and sound stuff?" Clementine shouts, flabbergasted. She throws the ball up in the air before spiking it across the net, just barely grazing Louis' shoulder. "I'm not an electrician, Lou. I'll probably set the place on fire, and I don't think the owner will like that too much."

"I already told you, Clem. Marlon and I got a handle on the wiring and all that shit. All you gotta do is make sure the back drop is done and help us hang it up." Louis yelps in surprise, dodging the volleyball just in time before it smacks him right in the nose. "And will you stop trying to incapacitate me? I know you're quite the athletic demon but this is gym class, not the fucking Olympics!"

Clementine grumbles to herself as she sets the volleyball for another serve. She was about to spike it right into Louis' mouth to shut him up but she stops when Brody pipes in, "C'mon Clem! It'll be fun! You and I can work on the backdrop together. We can add - wait, what's your performance even about, Lou?"

"I already told you! Gosh, do you guys even listen to me?"

"Nope."

"Ha! Funny! You suck." Louis pouts. He squares his shoulders and tugs at the imaginary collar on his gym uniform. "I'm going to sing a beautiful rendition of A Thousand Miles. It's gonna make you two cry like you just watched Mufasa die in the Lion King. Just you wait!"

Clementine quirks a brow at him. "Right. You know what you make me really want to do? Spike this ball into your face."

Brody quickly snatches the ball from Clementine, dodging her swats of annoyance. "As much as I'd love to see you knock a tooth out of his mouth, let's not get violent. Think of the possibilities! Let's do a meme style backdrop. We can totally paint Terry Crews in that pink convertible and make everyone's day!"

Louis beams with excitement. "Hell yeah, now that's what I'm talking about!" When he notices Clementine's blank expression, he gasps, " _Please_ tell me you've seen White Chicks. You haven't, have you? You uncultured swine!"

Clementine rolls her eyes and snatches the ball back from Brody, then whips it at Louis' chest. "Shut up, Louis. You know AJ's been on a kick of watching all the Disney movies and if I try to stop him, he'll have the whole house in an uproar. I swear he runs the house."

"Because he does," Louis says sarcastically, "Little guy has spunk, unlike you. That's why I like him!"

Clementine purses her lips and narrows her eyes at him. She makes a move to duck under the net to beat his tiny ass into next week but she's stopped by Brody, who grabs her shoulders and cheers happily, "White Chicks it is then! I'll get the art supplies together after school and meet you at Waldos. Clem, we're gonna make the best meme backdrop ever!"

Louis fist pumps the air, "Hooray for Latrell Spencer and his iconic scene!"

Clementine frowns petulantly and crosses her arms. She doesn't have a single artistic bone in her body but she guesses she's stuck helping Brody paint a ginormous caricature of Terry Crews in a hot pink convertible. But she supposes it's better than falling subject to watching Frozen for the millionth time with her little brother.

This was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

-

Clementine was right. About it being a long afternoon. But she didn't expect it to be _this_ kind of subjective chaos.

The rest of the school day had dragged on and she was totally okay with that. Clementine loves the coffee shop and also loves hanging out with her friends, although it may not seem like it, but she didn't feel like subjecting herself to the never ending patronizing from Brody about how she can't even draw a damn circle correctly. Brody is a perfectionist in her own little way and man does it get on her nerves.

Why Louis had commissioned her to paint a giant backdrop for his stupid performance was beyond her. He knew damn well that Clementine shares the same artistic abilities as a fish with wonky fins and she thinks Louis just wants to see her suffer at this point. Jokes on him though, she already made a mental note to mess with him and make the painting extra pathetic, even if that means listening to Brody's scrutinizing words. Totally worth it.

On the bright side, at least she was able to leave school early due to her passing period at the end of the day. Usually she used that time to go to baseball practice and get an early start to their drills, but since Coach Javier apparently had other plans, practice was canceled.

She even thought about going home and taking a quick power nap before enduring torment and agony with that godforsaken backdrop, but the thought of ultimately getting sucked into another Disney movie marathon with AJ kept her _away_ from the house. So to no avail, she decides on getting to Waldos early. Maybe if she downed an ungodly amount of caffeine before her friends showed up, it would make the experience somewhat tolerable. _Maybe_.

When she finally arrives at the coffee shop, Clementine can't help the bright smile that forms on her face. Waldos has become a special place for her ever since Louis had introduced her to the small bistro when she first transferred to Ericson High. It was their regular hangout spot and now, Clementine finds solace in the vibrant space.

As soon as she walks into the tiny shop, she's immediately hit with nostalgia. Flyers of historical plays and Broadway shows litter the walls, art supplies are haphazardly scattered on the coffee tables in the lounging area; even a calming tune permeates the space around her and she finds a group of people playing the guitar up on the stage.

Oh yes, the _stage_. In her stupor, she forgot about the backdrop. Dammit.

Clementine shakes her head and wills herself to amble over to the counter. She offers a warm smile to Gabe, an old friend and also Coach Javier's nephew, who was in the middle of polishing the mason jars. He returns a smile when he notices her. "Hey, Clem. You're a little early, aren't you? Normally you don't show up to bug me until _after_ practice."

"Me bug you? It's more like the other way around." Clementine snorts at Gabe's eye roll. "Practice was canceled anyway. Everything okay with Coach? He never cancels practice."

Gabe lets out a disgruntled noise. "Ugh. Yeah, he's good. He got a call from Paul and was up all night talking to him. You know how annoying it is to try and sleep when your uncle is giggling like a school girl in the room next to you? Like, damn." he shakes his head, "Anyway, all I got out of it was something about having to pick him up from somewhere or whatever."

"Paul?"

"Some guy he met while he was out of town for a tournament. They've been hanging out a lot lately. It's all he talks about. Besides baseball, of course."

Clementine quirks a brow at him. Curiosity may be her main personality trait but she decides to keep her mouth shut. Although she does make a mental note to prod Javier at practice tomorrow about his new _friend_. She was about to change the subject to something less confusing but then Gabe cuts in, "Hey, mind doing me a favor? The photo lab in the back is messing up again and I don't know how to fix it. It's such a hunk of junk."

"Yeah. Of course." Clementine stands up from her seat then nods to the mason jar in his hand, "While I do this for you, at least make yourself useful and make me a coffee."

Gabe shoots her an unimpressed look. "Just go fix the damn thing."

Clementine sends him a cheeky smile before sauntering towards the back of the shop. The darkroom was popular within Waldos, tons of students and passerby's used the room to develop their photos. And while they waited, they could enjoy the atmosphere of the shop and drink some coffee. It was a win, win and quite frankly, a great tourist trap.

That is when the photo lab actually decides to _work_. Clementine's lost count how many times Gabe has sent her back here to fix the red lights in the room. She thinks it has to do with the wiring and although she is a clever little shit that brainstorms on a whim, she's not an electrician. So she settles on just replacing the bulbs every time. Foolproof.

On her way back to the darkroom, her eye catches several paintings scattered on the wooden art tables. They were breathtaking to say the least. Some of them displayed monochromatic renditions of famous paintings, others were micrography self-portraits of famous artists.

However, one piece of artwork stands out to Clementine over the lot of them. A beautiful sketch of a raven, that looks dangerously realistic, is sitting on the edge of the table with pieces of charcoal laying around the battered sketchbook. Clementine gently runs her fingers along the edge of the book. Maybe if she focused hard enough, she would be able to coax the bird into reality.

Light shuffling behind Clementine pulls her from the reverie she was in and startles her into a jump. When she whips around to find the source, she sees a girl walk in from the supply room, her hood up and hanging loosely off her head. She notices the girls torn denim vest and how colorful it is, between the pins riddling the pockets and hand painted artwork adorning the sleeves and back of it.

Wait - that _vest_.

Realization suddenly slams to the front of her mind, demanding her attention right then and there. Clementine swears she's seen this girl before. Where? She has no idea, but she's definitely seen that vibrant vest around. Maybe it was in Waldos, during one of the many game nights Louis would drag her to. Or maybe it was around town when she would take AJ to the park when his pestering finally got the best of her. It racks her brain something fierce, yet Clementine can't put a finger on where she's seen this stranger before.

Then, all of a sudden, the girl snaps her attention towards Clementine, wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights. She scrunches up her nose and quickly adverts her eyes, then shuffles her way over to her sketchbook and snatches it up before moving to the other side of the table and planting herself on a stool there.

Clementine tils her head in confusion. That was a little - hasty. If she took a guess, it really seemed like the girl was trying to avoid her. But since Clementine is a curious little gremlin, she decides to follow the girl and takes a seat across from her. She offers her a soft smile, "You drew that bird?"

There's a few moments of silence before the girl lets out an exasperated sigh, "Yeah, I did. Why does it matter?"

Clementine blinks in surprise. Her voice was heavy with irritation and the heat behind the girls words left her baffled. She suddenly feels like a raging annoyance. Kind of like Louis. _Oh my god, I'm acting just like Louis_. Clementine wrinkles her nose from the unwanted comparison then decides a new approach, "It's beautiful. Seriously, I'm impressed."

The girl pauses her scribbling and looks up from her sketchbook, her eyes wide as though she was shocked by Clementine's compliment. She awkwardly clears her throat and turns her focus back to her sketch, "Oh. Um. Well, thanks. I guess?"

"Of course." Clementine smiles and watches the girl in awe while she shades in parts of the bird, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "How do you do that? I can barely draw a damn circle."

When she's met with a sarcastic scoff, she knits her brows together, "You think I'm kidding but I'm not. Brody says I share the same artistic abilities as a plant. And that the plant is probably better than me. I mean, she isn't wrong. One time -"

"Brody?" The girl looks up with a curious look in her eyes, "You know Brody?"

"Unfortunately. She convinced me to take art with her this year and now I have to endure her offhanded remarks on literally every subject."

"So you're the lucky son of a sucker that gets to deal with _that_ all the time?" The girl snorts, "You're named after a fruit, right? Honeydew or somethin'?"

Wow. Clever. Out of all the bad puns she's received over the years regarding her name, _that_ was a new one. Clementine scrunches her nose in repulsion. "Clementine. I'm Clementine."

"That's it," she snaps her fingers, then offers the tiniest sliver of a grin, "I pity you."

"You pity me for being mistaken as a fucking fruit or the fact that I have to deal with miss sunshine?"

"Both."

"You're fucking _hilarious_." Clementine frowns petulantly. The girl regards her playful demeanor with a look of amusement before turning her attention back to her sketchbook. Clementine ponders for a moment before asking, "Well, now that you know that I'm _not_ named after a melon, care to share your name?"

There's a moment of silence. A painful kind of silence. A really fuckin _awkward_ silence. Clementine can't tell if it's from the anticipation or the fact that she could practically see the gears turning in the girls mind.

Up close, Clementine can see that the girls nose is pierced, a silver hoop shimmering from the lights above them; her disheveled, blonde hair tucked messily under her hood, so pale that it resembles ashes from a bonfire; her eyes share the same hue of spring growth, the kind of green that mimics a forest in full bloom. Light pools of green that hold so much strength, yet so much hesitance. Clementine finds them - mesmerizing.

Not to mention she's also _really fucking pretty_. Shit.

A series of emotions pass over the girls face, most of them indecipherable, then her features grow soft. "Violet."

"Violet." Clementine smiles fondly, "You're named after a flower? That's adorable."

Violet whips her head up and stares at Clementine with a look of bewilderment. Clementine tilts her head, confused then immediately widens her eyes in realization. Sometimes she's a little _too_ forward. She laughs nervously, "I mean - not you. Well - yes you, you're pretty. But I totally meant the flower. 'Cause, ya know, they're beautiful. All purple and what not? Ha. Dammit." She silently curses to herself. Maybe she really was turning into Louis.

"Or - uh, y'know - what about a plum?" Violet shrugs nonchalantly, although it doesn't mask the light dusting of pink forming on her cheeks, "That way we can both be mistaken as fuckin' fruits."

Clementine blinks at her, a strange warmth bubbles its way up from her chest and onto her own cheeks. She tugs her hat down slightly to feign composure. Those soft eyes are _killer_. "Guess we're doomed to the fruit club for eternity, huh?"

"Ugh. Guess so. You'd totally be the president."

"Damn right. There'll be fruit at every meeting."

They both share a glance before bursting out into laughter. Violet shakes her head and says between bouts of snorts, "God, that was so _lame_."

Clementine shoots her a cheeky grin and shrugs. Who knew that the once murderous look in Violet's eyes could transform into something so soft. She decides right then and there that she'll do anything to hear that laugh again.

Then suddenly, a soft buzzing coming from Violet's vest pocket startles both girls out of their laughing fit. Clementine slaps a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh as Violet fumbles for her phone and silently curses at it to shut up. She grumbles, "Guess that's my cue. Nonna needs help with dinner." Then Violet gathers her things and shoves them into her backpack, "I'll - uh, see ya around?"

A dull ache spreads through Clementine's chest. It was upsetting to stop their chat so soon. "Yeah, of course. We'll have to hangout against sometime soon."

"Uh - yeah. Yeah. Totally." Violet adverts her eyes to the side and rubs the back of her head, a sheepish grin tugging at the corner of her lips, "See ya, Clementine."

Clementine watches as Violet walks back to the front of the shop. She sits there for a moment, taking in their entire conversation, and can't help the bright smile working its way up to the surface. Getting to know someone new was exciting, considering she's been stuck with her small group of friends ever since she transferred.

However, something was different about Violet. What that was, Clementine has no idea, but something about the new girl was exciting and maybe even a little mysterious too. It creates such a warmth in her bones that she feels like she can do anything.

Another thought plaguing her mind was where she's seen Violet around before. It bugs Clementine to no end but the tumbles in her stomach distract her form dwelling on it any more than needed. For now.

The dull ache that once plagued her chest was gone. Instead, there was an incorporeal warmth that bounced around her rib cage and settled in her stomach, like the setting sun had replaced her heart and was trying ever so hard to break free.

-

Clementine stands in the middle of the lounge in Waldos and watches in amusement as Louis and Marlon frantically rush around in a great haste, carrying an arm full of sound equipment and struggling not to trip over the wires dragging behind them. She looks to Brody, who was on the floor and furiously sketching out what she assumes is the Terry Crews caricature that she was so excited about earlier in the day, and suddenly feels the unwanted amount of pressure from everyone else rushing around.

She doesn't understand why everyone's in such a rush. Louis’ performance isn't for another two weeks, yet here her friends are, running around the coffee shop like a group of dogs that have the zoomies. Clementine feels like she should be just as productive as them but she honestly has no idea what to _do_.

"Guys, is there anything I can do to at least be some kind of help?" Clementine asks while she watches her friends bumble around the small space on the stage, "I mean, you did tell me to come along for a reason but all I've done for the last hour is watch you guys run around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off."

Marlon drops the pile of wires in his arms onto the stage, "I'd say silently judging us while we struggle with the equipment is being pretty productive."

Clementine shoots him a glare. Louis slings an arm around Clementine's shoulders and pulls her into his side, ignoring her obvious objections. "Our dearest, Clementine, you are helping! You're watching our every move like some dictator. You go, girl."

"Or you could, y'know, come help me with Mr. Crews," Brody pipes in from her spot on the floor, "I'm having a real tough time with his face. Why does he look like he's always pissed off?"

"Resting bitch face, maybe?"

Clementine rolls her eyes and shrugs her way out of Louis' grasp, "Fine. I'll help you with the passive aggressive guy in the pink convertible."

Louis gasps, "Don't associate Terry Crews as just some passive aggressive guy. He's a legend!"

Clementine stares at him blankly before offering him the middle finger and taking a seat next to Brody. She takes a peak at the backdrop and instantly regrets agreeing to help her in the first place. She doesn't know who Terry Crews is or why her friends are so obsessed with his movies, but she assumes that's what he looks like. It's definitely realistic and the caricature _definitely_ looks peeved off at something, so Brody wasn't wrong on that one.

Time escapes the group as the sky melts into a beautiful sunset, the orange hues spilling in through the windows and casting shadows amongst the interior of the tiny shop. During that lost time, Louis and Marlon were able to hang an absurd amount of string lights around the stage and managed to almost electrocute themselves with the wires, and Clementine and Brody were able to finish the sketch of Terry Crews - well, mainly Brody since Clementine doesn't have a single ounce of creativity in her blood - and started breaking out the paint to give the backdrop some color.

The group mindlessly chatted amongst one another during that time as well, sharing quips about some of the teachers at school and laughing as Louis imitated some of them. They chatted about school projects that were due soon and even about Clementine's up and coming baseball game against Savannah. Besides the occasional reprimanding from Brody and the dramatic shrieks from Marlon and Louis when they wired something wrong, it was turning out to be a pretty good night.

But when the topic shifts to a certain someone in her flamboyant denim vest, Clementine immediately regrets opening her mouth about her run in with Violet.

"You met Violet?" Brody stares at Clementine in disbelief. "Why didn't you say that earlier? I haven't seen her in, like, forever! How is she? Is she still wearing that vest? I told her a million times by now she needs to get a new one. That thing is so ripped and beaten up. Maybe I should just buy her a new one."

"Violet, huh?" Louis says as he makes his way over to them, "I love that girl but sometimes she's just plain _scary_."

"Scary?" Clementine knits her brows together. During their short chat, Violet may have been a little hostile in the beginning but it didn't take her long to warm up to Clementine and even _laugh_ with her. That was something in itself, right? "I didn't think she was scary. I thought she was pretty cool."

"You didn't know her back in middle school. She went from quiet friendly girl to silent murderer real fast." Marlon deadpans, but then he waves his hands around frantically, "I mean - not literally. She's never murdered someone. I think?"

Brody sighs and slaps his arm. "Marlon, shut the hell up. You know she's been through a lot."

Clementine eyes them warily. She wants nothing more than to jump in and ask what they were alluding to but she bites her cheek and thinks better of it. She just met Violet and it really wouldn't be her place to fish for answers. "I didn't realize you all knew Violet. How come I'm just now meeting her?"

The three of them all share a knowing glance before Louis clears his throat, "Violet is quite the little misfit. She likes doing her own thing most of the time. And by that I mean she got suspended."

"She got suspended for picking a fight with another senior," Brody shrugs sadly, "After that, she vandalized the gym with spray paint then went ghost, so we haven't seen her in awhile. Although it's against the rules, her spray art is amazing."

"She only paints birds, what's so amazing about that?" Marlon asks then hisses when Brody kicks him in the shin.

Clementine blinks owlishly. So Violet was suspended from Ericson's for violence and is known as the artistic misfit who likes to break the rules? She didn't really know what to expect but it definitely wasn't _that_. Damn curiosity might get the best of her, it is her kryptonite after all. "I think she's an amazing artist."

Brody clasps her hands together over her heart and beams, "That's great! I'm just glad she didn't tear your head off." At Clementine's surprised expression, she laughs, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Kind of. Vi can be a little - blunt. But you're still standing so that means something!"

"Um. Okay?" Clementine feels her face slightly warm. Brody wasn't necessarily wrong, Violet was definitely blunt during their conversation but the thought of those harsh eyes falling into something soft and serene caused the flutter in her stomach to kick start again.

And whatever that warm feeling is, it can kindly stop. Clementine's not a fan of feeling uncertain, because she's quite the opposite. She takes pride in her certainty and always being grounded in her decisions and actions. But something about Violet shook her to her core. Something about how her cold demeanor that softened with her laugh and her painfully shy smile that almost looked bashful - they caused the warmth that cocooned itself around Clementine's heart.

But for the life of her, she doesn't know _why_.

By the time the group was done with their respective tasks, the coral haze of dusk fizzled out to reveal the stars proudly shining in all their glory. Clementine decides to call it a night, the group unanimously agreeing with her considering it was almost one in the morning. She says her goodbyes and ambles out of the coffee shop and down the street.

One of the many good things about Waldos? It wasn't too far from her house so she didn't have to constantly bug Lee to drive her. But a downside about Waldos? When she decides to leave at an ungodly hour and navigate the dark streets with nothing but the flashlight on her phone and a flimsy pocket knife for protection. It may not be the most intimidating but in a time of need, it works.

However, Clementine finds herself staring up at towards the heavens on her walk home rather than watching where she was going. The night sky is a special kind of darkness to her; the stars are the choir and her eyes are the audience. They twirl and dance along the sky in various patterns, a beautiful choreography unfolding before her that creates such bliss. Sometimes the eyes need music too; the darker the night, the sweeter the song.

A warm breeze rushes past Clementine and when she looks back down from the canopy of luminous stars above her, she sucks in a breath and freezes in her place. In front of her, by a large brick building practically in ruins, was Violet - whose hood was up over her head and hunched over a pile of paint cans.

Clementine watches as Violet slips on a face mask and stands up from her crouched position, then starts painting the wall with one of the cans. Curiosity radiates through her veins and she's suddenly struck with apprehension on whether or not she should bound on over to Violet and act all chummy or slink out of sight before she's caught staring. Clementine likes the latter of decisions.

It's not like she has the right to waltz right over to Violet and sling an arm around her shoulder like Louis does, plus the thought of being anything like Louis makes her internally cringe. But wouldn't slinking away before she's unseen be slighty rude? Even though Violet would never even know Clementine was there in the first place, yet the thought plagues her mind. Damn worrisome conscious.

As if the gods were peering down on Clementine and judging her poorly allotted time for decision making, Violet decides at that very moment to finally realize she's gained an audience and casts a glance towards Clementine in confusion. But instead of the look of disgust from earlier, she tugs down her mask and offers Clementine a small wave of acknowledgment.

Clementine suddenly feels her face warm up and the flutters in her stomach intensify. She hesitates for a few moments. She takes a step forward but then retracts it, she scuffs her shoes against the cement underneath her, she even fiddles with her fingers like that was going to help the matter - but ultimately she decides to shove away the butterflies attacking her stomach and slowly make her way over to Violet.

"Hey." Violet waves a hand to grab Clementine out of her dazed expression, "What are you doing out so late? It's, like, one in the morning dude."

"I could ask you the same," Clementine leans against the wall of the brick building and crosses her arms, "I just got done at Waldos. I had to help my friends with a backdrop."

"Backdrop?"

"Yeah. Louis' performance is coming up and he needed some help. Why he wanted me to help paint the backdrop is beyond me though. Like I said, I have zero talent when it comes to art."

"Louis has a performance?" Violet crouches down over the paint cans and twists a cap off one of them, "'Bout damn time he got one. He would always whine when they'd shut him down, maybe now he'll shut up."

"You're telling me. You should've seen him when he finally got accepted," Clementine shakes her head and smiles at the memory. But then she tilts her head to the side in thought, "I'm starting to think you know all my friends at his point."

There's a pause, "Yeah. Guess so."

An uncomfortable silence falls between the pair, and Clementine takes the time to figure out what the hell to say next. She wants to be forward with Violet and chat about silly things, but they did just meet so was that too sudden? Or maybe she should bring up her conversation with Brody and Louis, but was that too invasive? In all fairness, Clementine wasn't even sure she was supposed to know if Violet was suspended or not. God love her friends but they never knew when to keep their mouths shut.

Clementine is a lot of things, but graceful isn't one of her many personality traits. In fact, she's about as graceful as a bull in a fine china shop. So to put it bluntly, she's a fucking wreck. With that being said, she doesn't necessarily think it through when she opens her mouth and says, "I'm sorry you got suspended."

Violet suddenly stiffens. She stares down at the paint can in her hand with intense focus, but then her shoulders deflate and she gives a half-hearted shrug before hastily resuming her painting.

Clementine frowns at the silence between them. She may not be the smoothest person when it comes to topic change but even her oblivious ass can tell when she brought up a touchy subject. Violet's whole demeanor changed in a matter of seconds and now Clementine feels her heart lurch from its resting place and plummet into her stomach.

She's also not the smoothest at _recovering_ from said topic change and usually ends up blundering like an idiot while trying to fix whatever she messed up. Like now, "Shit. I'm sorry. That was kind of out of the blue, I didn't mean to bring it up. It's just - Louis and Brody mentioned it and I was curious. And my curiosity can get out of hand at times so I'm so-"

"Dude, chill. It's fine." Violet cuts in quickly and sighs, "Remind me to stab Louis and Brody next time I see them."

"That's fair. I definitely will."

"How much did you hear?"

"I mean, other than you picking a fight with a girl then vandalizing the gym with graffiti, that's about it."

"Fuckin' Louis," Violet grumbles. Then she stands up and leans against the wall next to Clementine, "Girl had it comin' anyway. The graffiti was just a 'fuck you' to the school."

Clementine shifts her weight onto her other foot to face Violet and offers her a reassuring smile, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Brody says she admires your artwork." When all she receives is a snort, she bites her lip and takes a deep breath, as if to work herself up to say, "And - um, so do I. You're really good."

"All I draw is birds, how is that good?"

Clementine rolls her eyes in good nature, "God, you sound like Marlon. Just take the compliment. You're an amazing artist and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Even yourself."

Violet stares at Clementine, wide-eyed as though her blunt response caught her off guard. Then her rigid demeanor deflates and a small smile of her own dangles on the corner of her lips. She finally looks at ease, "And I thought I was blunt. Well - thanks. It - uh, means a lot." But then she looks flustered and crosses her arms over her chest, almost like she was seeking the courage to say, "And um - for what its worth, you're really good at pep talks. So - uh, thanks again."

That damn _smile_. Clementine feels a soft twinge in her heart, but instead of plummeting down into her stomach like it did before, a visceral warmth radiates through her gut and into her chest instead. It's almost like someone had opened up a furnace and shoveled fresh coal into the already smoldering embers, only to reignite the flames, steal Clementine of her usual confidence, and replace it with sheer perplexity.

If that feeling alone didn't already throw Clementine off kilter, then the heat radiating off her face like a stove pipe was sure to take the cake. This seriously isn't like her. Clementine never gets flustered, even during baseball games, she's quite literally the eye of the storm; calm and controlled. Yet whenever Violet so as flashes a sheepish grin and even says anything remotely bashful, she's suddenly reduced into a heap of butterflies and clammy hands.

And all Clementine wants to know is _what the fuck is going on_?

During her internal mental battles of confusing feelings, she finally comes to the realization that she's just been _staring_ at Violet. And Violet has been staring right _back_. Clementine blinks at her amused expression and quickly adverts her eyes to look at her shoes. God, she feels like she's floundering.

Out of the corner of her eye, Clementine sees Violet shift in her stance and notices that her eyes are casted up towards the stars. She follows Violets gaze and whispers ever so softly, worried she might break the tranquility around them, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Silence falls between the pair once again, but Clementine was so enthralled by the array of stars above her, she doesn't notice that Violet has shifted her gaze onto her with a sparkle of wonder in her eyes.

"Yeah. Always."


	2. i think i like you a latte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things are about to get interesting folks!! curious clem is becoming ever so attentive with the bumbling heaps of mushy feelings flowing through her, but has she figured it out? most likely not lkdjlskikg. i hope you all enjoy!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently waldos is a decent place to find love. now if only i could mimic this in real life alkdjasjlk

English sucks ass.

In fact, English sucks so much that Clementine has spent the last half an hour creating makeshift constellations in her notebook while she reluctantly listens to Mr. Carver, a wrinkly, crude baboon, animatedly lecture the class about poetry - or was it how to properly write a haiku? Either way, Clementine's obviously not finding his enthusiasm on the topic very interesting. Then again, no one was considering over half the class was either nodding off to dream land or looking about seconds away from imploding.

Not to mention, she's been so bored during his nonstop jibber jabber that she's resorted to doodling in her composition book, and she never doodles; yet here she is, scribbling ink onto paper and carefully attempting to mimic a certain bird she saw just a few days ago.

Clementine heaves a sigh through her nose and plants her forehead against her desk. This class felt like it's been dragging on for eternity and Mr. Carvers bland tone wasn't helping time fly by any faster. She feels like she's going insane.

Seriously, she might just lose her marbles. Whoever had the grand idea of scheduling English with Carver at the end of her school day, right before baseball practice nonetheless, must think they're fuckin' _hilarious_. Mr. Carver always gets underneath Clementine's skin, what with his dull tone and scrutinizing eyes, but most of all how he singles her out amongst the whole class. Clementine finds it a real pain in the ass.

On the bright side, at least she's able to let out said pent up aggravation on the field. There's nothing quite like sliding across dirt to base and the satisfying burn in her lungs that gets her frustrations out any better way.

When the bell rings, Clementine clasps her hands together and thanks the gods above before quickly gathering her things and fighting off the horde of students milling out of the classroom at the same time. But just as she manages to finally escape the room and make her way towards her locker, she's suddenly stopped by an overly rambunctious Brody barreling in front of her and nearly toppling her over.

"Clem! Clem! You will never _believe_ who I saw today!" Brody exclaims excitedly, but at Clementine's quirked brow, she pouts, "Aren't you gonna guess?"

"Brody, I just sat through an entire lecture about who knows what with Mr. Carver. _Please_ don't make me guess."

"Not even a little?"

" _Brody_."

"Okay, okay. _Fine_. You're such a party pooper." Brody grumbles, but then she beams and grabs Clementine by the arm, dragging her down towards their lockers, "It's Violet. _Violet_! Can you believe it? She's finally back to this hell hole. I mean, I know it's only a matter of time until she gets suspended again, but she's back!"

Clementine stares at her with a blank expression. Her face suddenly feels hot and her hands are getting clammy, and she can't help but acknowledge the phantom moths fluttering around in her stomach. Of course, her luck. Violet was back to school and now Clementine has no idea how to feel.

Well, she feels _something_ but she can't quite put a finger on whatever that feeling is. Excitement? Horror? Maybe even a little more curiosity? Whatever it is, it's making her stomach jump around like rowdy kids in a bounce house and her tongue tangle into knots. She feels Brody's curious gaze on her and that only makes her face burn more.

Clementine tries to open her mouth to say something but a breath gets hitched in her throat, so to feign nonchalance, like nothing was inhibiting her from processing a basic response, she abruptly turns to her locker and fumbles to open it up. So much for being _graceful_. "Oh. Really? Um - cool?"

"Cool? That's it?" Brody stares at her, confused. "I thought you'd be more ecstatic, considering you were so curious about Vi on Friday."

"What? I was _not_ ," Clementine feels her face grow even hotter, if that was even possible, "I was just curious about how you guys never mentioned her, and how she's such a good artist. That's all."

"Right." Brody looks unconvinced but she waves it off, "Well, _I'm_ excited she's back. I wanted to talk to her in Biology but she told me to shove a sock in my mouth and can it. So I'll just find her later! I think she still hangs out under the trees after school."

Clementine stops in the middle of her assault of shoving her books into her locker and glances at Brody. So Violet hangs out under the trees in the courtyard? Not that she would actually go out of her way to find Violet, because that was just creepy. But that doesn't mean she can't walk past the courtyard and check on her way to practice, right? Curiosity be damned.

"Um, Clem? Why are you just staring at us?"

"Huh?" Clementine shakes her head from her thoughts. When she comes to, she's met with a worried stare from Brody and at some point, Louis had popped up and was also staring at Clementine with curious eyes. She _really_ needs to stop zoning out while looking towards people. "When did Louis get here?"

"I've _been_ standing here. I even had a full conversation with Brody while you were off in la la land," Louis raises a brow, a shit-eating grin taking form on his face, "Why are you acting so weird? Someone on your mind?"

Clementine's face is _burning_ , "Wha - _No_! Just - English always turns me into a zombie. My brain is fried, which is why I need to get to baseball practice - to clear it. So if you don't mi -"

"Oh, we mind," Louis says sweetly then slings an arm around her shoulder and ushers her down the hallway, "We're coming with! You know we love seeing our darling little Clementine in action!"

Clementine shoots him a glare. What she wouldn't do to smack that devious smirk off his face. She turns back to Brody who was tailing behind them and blinks in horror. Brody even has a shit-eating grin plastered on her face and that only makes Clementine's heart plummet. She knows those looks and for whatever reason, she was always on the receiving end of them. She throws her head back and groans, " _Fine_. But if you mess up my rhythm, I'm shoving your heads into the dirt."

Brody throws her hands up in compliance. Louis shoots her an unimpressed look, but the twinkle of deviltry in his eyes makes Clementine want to smack him even more, "You worry too much. We'll just be sitting in the stands and after, we can go to Waldo's! It's a win, win!"

"I'm tagging along 'cause I have to meet up with Ruby. She said she would help me with Anatomy," Brody pipes in cheerfully, "But do me a favor and shove Louis' head in the dirt anyway. I wanna see him squirm."

"That's fucked up."

"Oh, I know."

Clementine rubs her temples in agony. Her friends always knew how to give her a migraine and they're definitely succeeding at this very moment. And to think she would be able to swing by the courtyard and try to find the misfit of violence lounging around. She guesses she'll just have to wait until _after_ practice.

-

"Come on, Clementine! What happened to our feisty, athletic demon? Put your ass into gear!"

Clementine grunts as she slides on her stomach across the dirt and successfully catches the stray ball in her mitt. Coach Javier had assigned her and a few of her teammates to the outfield for today's practice, while the other half of the team were working on batting drills. At some point, Louis had started yelling offhanded remarks from the bleachers, seemingly taking Javier's position as coach, and Clementine suddenly feels her brain blast off into sensory overload.

She likes to think the love she holds for baseball is always enough to carry her through witty and albeit, foolish plays. But having Louis yell "encouraging" words at the top of his lungs during practice makes her focus diminish into one of a bird trying to fly through a sliding glass door, so it was pretty fucking distracting.

"Louis, yell one more thing and I'll march over there and shove your head so far down into the earth, you'll be coughing up dirt for weeks!"

"What? I couldn't hear you over all that complaining! Pick up the pace!"

Clementine sends him the middle finger and pulls herself up to her feet. Baseball practice is a blessing, yet a curse. She loves the sport, it holds a special place in her heart, so ultimately sacrificing her muscles and lungs to exert her hardworking nature is something she's always willing to do. However, for some godforsaken reason, her friends always tagged along to said practices and yelled the most ludicrous things.

Well, mainly Louis. God love him but he _never_ shuts up.

Even Javier was starting to get annoyed with Louis' clamorous remarks, and that takes a lot to do. Clementine's only seen Javier get annoyed during heated games or when his team was bumbling around the field like they couldn't remember how to properly hold a bat. But at least she was being entertained by Javier chasing Louis out of the bleachers while yelling curses like a sailor, until Louis retreated to the trees behind the dugout for safety. That's what he gets for messing up her rhythm, justice is served.

After witnessing Louis almost get his neck rung out by her coach, Clementine makes her way over to the dugout, where Brody and Ruby are mindlessly chatting about their endeavors in Anatomy, "Ruby, can you do me a favor and mend Louis' arm?"

Ruby eyes her curiously. She's known to be real persnickety about her red hair, which is why she decides to dye it every few weeks. She likes to go for a honey mist auburn, but if you ask Clementine, she missed auburn real bad, "But his arm is fine?"

"Not after I bend it until it breaks."

"Clem, I said shove his head into the ground. Not break his arm," Brody frowns, "But at least we got a show. I don't think I've ever seen him run that fast before. Well, besides when he runs after Aasim."

Clementine wrinkles her nose from the unwanted imagery. Even Ruby seems to agree with her when she makes a disgruntled noise, "Yer tellin' me. Do you remember the time he practically plowed Sarah over when we were leavin' Algebra? I swear, she saw her life flash before her eyes."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Brody sticks out her tongue, "Sometimes I wonder how those two are dating. I mean, I know Louis is a sweetheart but how he managed to swoon Aasim is beyond me. The guy is a brainiac, and Louis' head is hollow. When they first started dating, all Louis wanted was to be in Aasim's pan -"

" _Okay_ ," Clementine loudly interrupts them, "Let's not talk about Louis' love life. I'd rather not have my brain filled with _that_ while I'm trying to focus on practice."

"But you're standing her talking to us instead of practicing?"

"Touché."

Ruby flips through the pages in her book, "Oh, yeah. Are we still goin' to Waldos after yer done? I've been helpin' this nut with Anatomy and I'm about done with her questions. Brody, yer drivin' me insane."

" _I'm_ driving _you_ insane? You're the one being a shitty tutor!"

Clementine drags her hands down her face in torture. Whenever she was around these two, they always fought like some old married couple who say they love each other, but secretly they don't. Normally it's Brody that starts the bickering, and Ruby being the strong soul she is, never backs down. Clementine's usually the one to break up the arguments as well, but now? She can't be bothered to intervene.

Sighing, Clementine decides to leave dumb and dumber figure out the plans with Waldos on their own and returns back to the field to finish out practice. Now with Louis in hiding from potentially losing his head to a fast ball from Javier, she can freely focus on her drills.

Or so she _thought_. 

By the time practice was almost over, Clementine managed to execute a number of different plays with her team, and even managed to calm Javier down enough to stop hunting Louis like some bloodhound. She's covered in dirt from head to toe, her white shirt and shorts absolutely ruined by the sand from the baseball diamond. Normally she doesn't mind, it shows off her hard work and determination, but right now couldn't be _worse_ of a time.

 _Why_? Violet. That's _why_.

Apparently the gods above love to see Clementine squirm because the chances of the vicious misfit showing up at this very moment was just uncanny.

When Clementine turns away from the teams final huddle, she spots a familiar head of ashy blonde lounging under one of the weeping willow trees on the outskirts of the field. Violet has her sketchbook resting in her lap, but instead of focusing on her sketches, she tracks Clementine with an impressed expression; eyebrows raised and a sparkle of amusement in her eyes. When Violet notices Clementine's impervious stare, she offers a tentative smile.

Clementine feels her heart skyrocket to the fucking _moon_. Violet was watching her? And for how long? Clementine is a lot of things, but feeling self-conscious isn't normally one of them. Don't get her wrong, she has her moments of doubt, but never during practice. And considering how she's looking now, she feels her insides violently churn at the thought of Violet seeing her so - well, gross, to put it frankly.

But the most unsettling thing to Clementine is the annoyance sitting to Violet's left - _Louis_. Violet looks like she's seconds away from shoving her sketchbook over Louis' face to shut him up, and Louis seems none too phased by the death glare being sent his way. He throws his hands around, animatedly going on about who knows what, and Clementine's surprised she can't hear his squawking from the infield. She votes for Violet to shove her sketchbook down his throat instead.

Clementine stands in the middle of the infield in a bout of indecision. She wants to go over to Violet and just _talk_ ; what that might be, she has no idea, but she feels the pressure in her lungs building up until it wants to turn into word vomit. Clementine wrinkles her nose. Yeah, that might not be the _best_ idea. Although she does want to get to know Violet, she has no idea where to even _start_. Holding a simple conversation shouldn't be too hard, but the surplus of giddy feelings and phantom moths in her stomach might just be her downfall.

As if her indecision was painfully obvious, Brody barrels over to Clementine and drags her over to the weeping willow tree, all the while incoherently squealing in delight. Clementine has no idea what the hell Brody is saying, all she catches is something about Violet and saving Louis. When they make it over to the pair, Louis bounds up from his kneeling position with a smug grin.

"Look who finally showed up!" he sings in a charming voice, "Took you guys long enough to realize who I found!"

"Found? What am I, a dog?" Violet scoffs. But at the wily smirk on his face, she rolls her eyes, "Don't fuckin' answer that."

Louis shrugs happily. Brody finally releases her death grip on Clementine's arm and throws herself at Violet in a violent hug, which Violet stiffens in discomfort. "I'm so happy to see you! We missed you at Ericson's. You have no idea how quiet it's been without you causing mayhem every chance you get."

"Brod, if you don't let me go, I'll shank you with my pencil."

"Now Violet, we both know you adore those shading pencils. You wouldn't want to gunk them up with blood."

"Yeah, Vi, don't gunk those up. They're good pencils," Louis slings an arm around Clementine's shoulders and waggles his eyebrows, "Plus, think about poor Clem here. I'm sure you wouldn't want to scare her _away_."

Violet suddenly looks flustered. She fiddles with the pencil in her hands and stares at it with intense focus. The tension seems to bleed out of her when her shoulders deflate. Instead, she opts to shoot Louis a glare so sinister, Clementine's surprised he doesn't drop dead right then and there, "Fine. Brody, you're spared. For _now_."

Clementine blinks owlishly as her face reddens. Violet spared someone, for _her_? That shouldn't make her heart flutter uncontrollably, yet it does. Oddly enough. She tips the bill of her hat down to hide her burning face, and was about to attempt a witty response back, but then Ruby saunters over to the group and whistles lowly, "Alright gang, we goin' to Waldos? It's gettin' late and some of us have curfews."

"Yeah! Let's get going!" Brody claps her hands together, "I have to stop by my place real quick and Ruby's my ride, so we'll meet you guys there."

"And I have to, uh - stop by Aasim's to get my - Algebra book? Yeah. That." Louis quickly adds in, although the look in his eyes seems a little shady, "I'll see ya guys there?"

Violet quirks a brow, "Is that an excuse just to have a quick make out session with your boyfriend?"

"I don't need an excuse for that," Louis hums, then sends a wink towards Clementine and rushes off towards the parking lot, "See ya at Waldos!"

Clementine watches as Louis disappears into the distance with Brody and Ruby and narrows her eyes. She has no idea what that was all about, but she shoves the confusing thoughts way for the moment. She has bigger things to worry about right now, like the sudden realization that she's _alone_ with Violet. She darts a glance at Violet, who offers her a shy smile and Clementine feels her heart plummet. This was a whole lot easier with a group of people but now that she's alone? She's floundering.

Before Clementine can even think of a proper way to begin a conversation, Violet stands up and shoves her sketchbook into her backpack. She awkwardly clears her throat and pauses for a moment, before saying, "So, uh - since everyone decided to leave us behind, wanna walk to Waldos together?"

Clementine blinks at her. She shifts in her stance and plays with the strings of her dirt clad shorts, "Um, yeah. Yeah. Totally. I would love to."

Violet rubs her nape, a twinkle of bewilderment in her eyes. A ghost of a smile plays on her lips, "Oh. Cool, cool. Ready to go?"

The walk to Waldos is fairly short but Clementine swears it flew by in a matter of seconds. All the jittery feelings she felt moments ago vanished; instead a soothing warmth spread through her bones and ensnared her heart. Clementine had no idea that Violet held such a calming aura around her. Normally she would feel uneasy; stomach plagued by sporadic moths that never seemed to rest and her heart threatening to collapse from acceleration. But right now, at this very moment, Clementine feels at peace for the first time around Violet, almost as if Violet was radiating serenity onto her.

During that short walk, Violet was willing to share a little bit about herself. She tells Clementine about her love for art and how it holds a special place in her heart, how one time her Nana wanted a pop of color in her living room, so Violet decided to paint a mural of all her grandmothers favorite things on the wall; she even goes on to vaguely share about the fight that almost got her expelled.

"So you just knocked her out?"

"Well - yeah. I mean, I wasn't just gonna let her speak to me like that," Violet shrugs nonchalantly, although she does seem a little troubled, "I regret punching her. But in my defense, she swung first. It was self defense."

"Jesus, you've got quite the violent streak, don't you?" Clementine purses her lips then offers a soft smile, "But I get it. Don't dwell on it. Whatever the fight was about, I'm sure you were justified. It sucks you got suspended for it, but at least you're back now and can actually graduate. And for what it's worth, _I'm_ glad your back."

In the short time Clementine has known Violet, she's noticed quite a bit of things. One of them being that Violet isn't all snark and rash behavior; she holds a genuine amount of gentleness behind her glower. Especially when someone is understanding and willing to listen to reason. So when Violet's features grow soft and a bashful quirk to her lips begins to show, Clementine feels her heart bloom with warmth, blending in with the softened sunset over the horizon.

"Y'know, I have to say," Violet begins in a gentle voice. She stands up a little straighter and meets Clementine's gaze, certainty in her eyes. "I meant it the other day. About you being good with pep talks. Thanks Clementine - for listening."

Clementine smiles to herself and casts her gaze to the path in front of them. When silence falls between the pair, Clementine doesn't worry about searching for a topic to conversate about, she no longer worries about how she looks after practice, or even what her friends have planned at Waldos. All she wants is for this moment with Violet to last for as long as possible.

Clementine feels as ease, she feels at peace. And Violet is to thank for that.

-

Turns out Clementine should've worried about what her friends had planned at Waldos.

In her defense, she was too busy listening to Violet and taking in every word she was saying. Not to mention, she was lost in how the sunset framed Violet's features and made her look like some goddess stuck on this lonely plain she calls Earth.

What? Clementine can't help herself.

But right, back to the crisis.

Louis has a lot of crazy ideas floating around in his brain, most quirky that cause Clementine to crash and burn in the long run. It's not that he tries to cause her demise but it always ends up that way. He likes to call it "creativity". Clementine likes to call it a pain in the ass.

That being said, Louis was about to drag her into another one of his card games and she fears what he has up his sleeves. On the bright side, Aasim tagged along so Clementine might just be saved. Aasim is Louis' sound reasoning behind his rash, "creative" thinking - so she can only pray Louis won't pull any tricks for once. But with how this current game of Uno is going, she can deduce any sound reasoning Aasim may have on Louis.

"Stop playing draw fours! I already have enough cards!" Brody yells, defeated. "Focus on someone else for fucks sake."

"Consider it a payback for sparing you earlier," Violet snorts, "Pick your cards, princess."

Brody grumbles to herself as she pulls cards from the deck. Louis hides his face behind his cards, trying to contain his giggle fit, "Jesus, don't murder poor Brody. She looks like she's about to explode."

"Now Louis," Aasim begins in a sarcastic tone, "Don't play devils advocate. You started this draw four spree."

Louis dances happily in his seat, doing a weird jig, and Clementine shoots him an unimpressed look. Of course he listens to Aasim, that boy would leap into a shark tank if Aasim said jump. Oh, the woes of love. How confusing it can be.

Then again, Clementine's also lost to the woes of love. Well, not that whatever she feels _is_ love towards Violet, but it's definitely troubling. She stares at the pile of cards in the middle of the coffee table, lost in her thoughts.

What is this visceral feeling she has towards Violet? She's been jittery ever since she met the misfit at Waldos a few days ago, drowning in indecisive actions and bumbling moths attacking her stomach and heart. Clementine is a lot of things but she's never unsure of how she feels and acts. She puts her confidence out there for the world to see and takes pride in it, but whenever she's around Violet, she turns into a heap of mushy thoughts.

Clementine likes to think this may be a one-sided crush, 'cause that was just obvious, wasn't it? Or was it too obvious? Although, it could just be infatuation - or whatever her health teacher goes on about during class. Clementine inwardly cringes at the thought. She's never felt anything like this before - to have someone catch her attention in an instance. No one has ever even come _close_ to it. It racks her brain something fierce, but she guesses only time will tell.

Why Clementine decides to have an existential crisis at this very moment is beyond her, but it seems like she's gained a concerning audience with her unwavering glare towards the deck of cards. Violet gently taps Clementine on her arm, pulling her from her endless tirade of thoughts, and says in a soft whisper, "You good? I thought those cards were gonna cower in fear from that dirty look you were giving them."

Clementine feels her face heat up at how close Violet is, but does her best to remain calm, "Uh - uh, yeah. Yeah. I'm good. Just kinda lost in my thoughts."

"Yeah, I noticed." Violet bites down on a quiet laugh that ends up in a snort. Clementine swears that's the purest noise she's ever heard, "Well whatever's bothering you, don't dwell on it. Pretty sure a certain someone mentioned that once before."

Usually Clementine hates having her own words used against her, but there's something gentle in the Violet's voice and there's a tiny bit of understanding behind those hues of spring growth that surprises her. Clementine can't help but smile until her cheeks cramp. Violet always thanks her for her uplifting words of wisdom, turns out Violet is just as understanding as she is. Who knew.

"Hey! No alliances over there!" Louis points his fingers between Clementine and Violet in a gun like fashion, a playful scowl on his face, "What are you two whispering about?"

Clementine lifts her head up in surprise and frowns petulantly. She slides a glance at Violet, who doesn't seem very phased by Louis' remark, "Wouldn't you like to know. Do me a favor and focus more on your boyfriend. Aasim looks more shady than we do."

"Don't pin this on me," Aasim replies dryly, "I'm trying to play a fair game. Louis has every right to accuse you two of an alliance."

Violet rolls her eyes so far back that they almost disappear. Louis sticks his tongue out at Violet and claps cheerfully, "Rule number one, Vi. Aasim always takes my side. You should know that by now."

"Trust me, I _know_. You could commit murder and Mr. Reasoning over here will drop everything to save your ass."

"He's the best," Louis chirps brightly. He leans over the table and makes a steeple out of his fingers. He's got a smirk so smug on his face that he almost looks like the Joker, "So, if you two aren't making an alliance, whatcha talking about? Flirting, are we?"

Clementine freezes. What the _fuck_ is he doing? "Wha - no. Louis -"

"You are, aren't you?" Louis covers his mouth with his hand, impressed, "Wow - Clem. I know you're quite the confident little gremlin, but in front of everyone here? You go girl."

Clementine suddenly feels uncomfortable. All eyes are on her. Brody is peering over her cards with bug eyes; Aasim shoots her an apologetic looks before slapping Louis' arm; even Ruby seems interested in what was going on while she's half awake on the couch from across the table. Clementine chances a glance towards Violet and sucks in a breath. Violet looks like she's seconds away from ending Louis' life right then and there.

"Louis," Brody warns warily, "You might wanna shut it."

"What? I'm giving them praise! I can't praise my friends for flirting with -" Louis' sentence is cut short by Violet abruptly standing up and shoving passed the group. She takes off so fast that a cloud of dust could practically be seen behind her. Louis looks troubled, "Oh, shit. Now I feel bad."

Brody rubs her temples, "Sometimes I wonder why we don't staple your mouth shut."

Clementine watches as Violet disappears into the back of the shop. She sits there for a moment before she scans around the group. Everyone looks concerned, save Ruby who's currently fighting to stay awake, but no one seems ready to follow after her. Louis turns to Clementine, a sad look in his eyes.

"I didn't mean to piss her off," Louis sighs. He looks torn with regret, "I was just playing around. I'd follow her but if I go out there, she'll rip me a new one."

"We all would love to go after her but she won't respond well. When she's pissed off, it's better to let her cool down on her own." Brody taps her chin with her cards, "But Clem, you might be able to reason with her. She seems at ease with you around."

Clementine blanches. She doesn't know why she's the chosen one but maybe Brody's right. She hesitantly stands up from her seat and begins her trek to the back of the shop. She takes one last look to her friends behind her: Louis is flashing her an overenthusiastic thumbs up; Brody offers her a halfhearted smile; Aasim looks dumbfounded about what just went down; and Ruby, well, they've lost her to the land of dreams. Clementine swallows hard on the lump forming in her throat and continues on her way.

When she gets to the back of the shop, there's no sign of Violet or where she could have ran off to. Then something catches her eyes - the back door that leads to the patio is cracked open with a rock. Clementine furrows her brows. Might as well start there.

She slides herself through the door and up the patio steps, then comes to a gradual halt in a state of pure awe. Before her stands a large mural covering the white brick walls of the coffee shop; brilliant hues of blue, purple, and fading pink blended together in an eye-catching sunset. Silhouettes of trees line the sides of the mural, cascading ominous shadows along the stone path beneath them.

However, passed all the intense colors, one thing in the mural stands out to Clementine. A raven is perched proudly on one of the branches of the painted tree, hidden amongst the shadows.

 _Wait_. That bird. _Violet_?

A soft cough startles Clementine back to earth and as she frantically whips around to find the source, she spots Violet in the corner of the patio with a paint brush in her hand. Her lips are pulled into a taut line, eyes narrowed towards the bottom corner of the mural as she casts her brush across the wall in fluid motions.

Clementine cocks her head to the side. She ponders for a moment, timidity overcoming her. Violet seems so at peace in her own little world - a complete one eighty from what Louis and Brody warned Clementine of only moments ago. Violet doesn't seem distraught, or bothered, or anything of that sort - simply at peace in the quiet space of the patio. It causes a tender smile to creep up onto Clementine's lips seeing Violet so relaxed.

Shoving her clamorous thoughts and indecisive actions away for once, Clementine musters up the courage to slowly walk over to Violet and take a seat next to her. Violet doesn't seem to flinch from the sudden presence now next to her, so Clementine opts to watch Violet paint instead. She would much rather keep the peace for as long as possible before delving into heated emotions caused by Louis.

Mesmerized, Clementine watches as Violet moves her brush along the mural in elegant motions, only pausing every so often to tap the handle of the brush against her lips in thought. Clementine likes to think she's a pretty observant individual on a good day, so it's no surprise to her when she starts picking up on some of Violet's quirks. Like the way Violet chews on her lip when she's thinking; or the way her face lights up when she has an idea; even how her nose scrunches up and the way she silently curses under her breath when she shades something wrong - Clementine finds it absolutely _adorable_.

A familiar pressure builds up in Clementine's lungs. She feels the need to just _talk_ , but she fears she might disrupt the atmosphere around them. She tries to hold the pressure back, keeping her eyes trained on the mural in front of her, but the discomfort in her chest gives way when she finally decides to open her mouth and ask, "I know you said you enjoy drawing birds, but what are they all ravens?"

Violet pauses in the middle of dipping her brush into the open paint can next to her. She tilts her head towards Clementine and snorts, "You watch me for, like, twenty minutes and that's the first thing you say?"

Clementine rolls her eyes in good nature, ignoring the sarcastic jab, "It was either that or I start off with how Louis feels bad and blah blah blah. So, which one would you rather talk about?"

Violet looks physically disturbed at the mention of Louis. She turns her attention back to the mural and after a few moments of silence, she sighs, "Ravens are my favorite bird, I guess. They're, like - ah, what's the word -"

"Symbolism?"

Violet whips her head back towards Clementine in shock. She stares at Clementine with eyes as wide as a barn owl before hastily resuming her painting, "Yeah. I - how did you know?"

"Took a shot in the dark?" Clementine shifts so she can face Violet and shrugs, "Ravens are mysterious. And like you told me earlier, you like to express yourself with the art that you create. It's like your trademark."

When all Clementine receives is a huff of uncertainty, she doesn't necessarily think it through when she reaches out and rests her hand over Violets, pulling her hand away from the mural. She ducks her head down to meet Violet's gaze, "You associate yourself with the raven, don't you?"

Violet refuses to meet Clementine's eyes and keeps her own low. Her lips start to twitch, almost as if she was trying to suppress a grin. Clementine holds in a breath as the moments tick by, an awkward silence beats between the pair that makes her heart feel like it was about to explode. This waiting felt like _torture_.

"You've known me for not even a week," Violet breaks her sullen façade and shakes her head in a quiet fit of laughter. She finally lifts her gaze to meet Clementine's. There's a quiet look in her eyes - a hint of doubt shines through, but she almost seems admirable, "Yet you figured me out faster than those quacks that I call my best friends. You're not a mind reader, are you?"

Clementine stifles a laugh, "No, I'm not. But if I'm being honest, your persona _screams_ ominous. The bird totally gives it away."

"Oh shut it, sports queen," Violet rolls her eyes and playfully shoves Clementine's shoulder, but then her features turn serious, "Okay. Yeah, you're right. It does give it away. But I've associated myself with a raven ever since - well, just for a while now. It's like the bird is apart of me, a part of my being, I guess. And I - fuck, guess it's like a way of showing who I am? Hell I don't know."

Violet brings a knee up to her chest and hooks an arm around it, resting her cheek on an open palm. "I guess what I'm trying to say is - a bird can go anywhere it wants to. It's almost free. Sometimes I wish I could fly away from all my stressors, just like a bird would." She blinks, suddenly shrinking into herself, "Jesus, I - I didn't mean to go off like that. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? That was - Violet, that was _beautiful_. I totally get what you mean. Who wouldn't want to escape their problems? That's a _total_ mood," Clementine snorts and gently knocks shoulders with Violet, "You express your art in such a powerful way and that's what makes it so intriguing to everyone. Hell, it's why I was drawn to it. I _love_ it."

Out of all the moments Clementine has shared with Violet, she's certain that she might have just broken her with this one. Violet looks as stiff as a steel rod, knees brought to her chest in a tight embrace. She has a number of different emotions flowing across her face under the disheveled strands of hair that cover it. Then her shoulders deflate and a genuine smile tugs at the corner of her lips, "You sure are full of mysteries, Clementine. Thank you - for uh, being so understanding."

Clementine swears she looks like one of those bug-eyed toy key chains by now. She feels a giddy smile forcing its way to the surface, and she doesn't try very hard to stop it when her cheeks start to cramp, "Of course, Vi."

After Violet's monologue of symbolism, the pair ends up stargazing with one another; pointing out the few constellations they know and ones they _thought_ they knew. Violet teaches Clementine a thing or two about the vast unknown, and Clementine appreciates the knowledge being bestowed onto her by the girl of her possible affections. After all the chaos that occurred during their Uno game, Clementine is grateful with how the night is turning out.

But to Clementine's surprise, she didn't have to worry about how she would calm Violet down after Louis royally pissed her off. Turns out being by Violet's side and getting to know her a bit more was enough to cut the tension. Now Violet was willing to share more about herself and Clementine honestly couldn't be happier.

Clementine mentally curses to herself and brings her knees up to her chest. It may be spring but the cool breeze brushing passed her seeps into her bones and causes her to shiver violently. At this point, she just wishes summer would hurry up a little faster. She was about to stand up and seek warmth within the tiny shop, but then something stops her in her tracks.

She sucks in a breath when something warm is suddenly draped over her shoulders. When she reaches up to find out what it is, she blinks in surprise. It was Violet's denim vest. Violet _gave_ Clementine her _vest_. Clementine looks over to Violet, who matches her gaze. Her eyes seem to swim in the moonlight above them; reminding Clementine of a lake reflecting from the band of light suspended in the evening sky. She doesn't necessarily know how to react so she stares at Violet, mouth agape as she tries to find the right words.

Violet on the other hand looks incredibly uncomfortable, "I - you looked cold. So I thought - y'know, you might need something warmer than just shorts and t-shirt. I'm - I'm sorry if that's weird. I just -"

" _Hey_ ," Clementine whispers softly. She hesitantly rests a hand on Violet's arm and sends her an appreciative smile, "It's fine. Really. Thank you, Violet. I really appreciate it."

Violet stares at Clementine, bug-eyed. She mirrors Clementine's soft smile, and Clementine feels her heart blend in with the luminous stars above, "Don't mention it. And by the way, I thought I'd never say this but I'm glad Louis pissed me off. You're pretty fuckin' cool, Clem."

Feeling dizzy from the swirling emotions in her mind, Clementine leans back against the railing of the patio and casts her eyes up towards the heavens above. She tugs Violet's vest closer to her and plays with the loose strings hanging off the sleeves with a brilliant smile that matched the visceral warmth in her soul. She had no idea tonight would turn out as perfect as this, but she's thankful for the peaceful moments she's able to share with Violet.

But then she thinks back to the crisis she was having a few hours ago during their card game and can't help but wonder why she was ever worried in the first place.

Maybe, just maybe, Clementine _is_ beginning to lose herself to the woes of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing soft fics like this one makes my heart soar -sigh- i hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> i'm also on tumblr @ grehsun if you guys wanna check it out!!


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